Till You're in my Arms Again
by BigDestiny
Summary: Luke and Noah have faced many challenges in their relationship, but never anything like this. Will they ever see each other again?
1. Separated

Disclaimers- hmm, well, there's the obvious that I don't own these characters. This is slash. Adult content is forthcoming. You know the drill.

I've had this on my hard drive since last Christmas, and I decided to stick with that for the timeline (that way we get to see their first time). Some of what happened with Brian on the show didn't for this story.

There isn't a crossover in this story per se, but you might see some things that make you go, 'hey, isn't that?'

Till You're In My Arms Again

Part One - Separated

Noah Mayer wasn't entirely sure that moving back to the farm was a good idea. After the disaster that was the election fiasco, Noah and Luke were in such a bad state that he'd moved out. Despite the fact that he had decided months ago that he wasn't going to run away anymore, it didn't feel right to continue to impose on Luke's family. Of course, that was his current concern; it still felt like he was imposing. Although he and Luke were back together again, it still felt more like Luke's home than his (this despite the fact that Luke was still going to be living with his parents). He wondered briefly if he'd end up having to move again the next time he and Luke were having problems, but shook the thought off as defeatist. The last thing he needed was to get bogged down again in his insecurities.

He just wished that he knew for sure that he and Luke were going to make it.

Noah had picked a day when everyone else was busy away from the farm to move back in, saving himself the embarrassment of being welcomed back by one and all. So it was surprising that as he went up the stairs, he could hear sounds coming from the second floor. Since the only person that knew he was going to be moving back that day was Luke, Noah dropped what he was bringing in and climbed the narrow staircase upstairs. What initially sounded like some kind of rattle resolved itself into the sound of bedsprings creaking. Coming from Luke's old room. Remembering the time he and Luke had once jumped on Noah's bed, Noah opened the door with a smile. He just hoped that it was a playful Luke, and not another family member who had decided to take advantage of the vacant space.

The smile fell off of Noah's face, as he tried to rationalize the image in front of him.

It wasn't possible.

Brian Wheatley had left town after Lucinda realized he wasn't into her. While she'd never learned the truth about Brian coming on to Luke, Noah thought that maybe she suspected more than she'd let on. The last time he and Luke had seen Brian, they'd all agreed that it was a narrow escape. That Brian (and Brian's secret, though both he and Luke thought keeping it a mistake) would be a lot safer on the other side of the country. It made no sense for him to be back.

Or to be openly gay.

Or to be fucking Luke right in front of him.

Brian had backed off of Luke, startled, the second he'd heard the creaking of Luke's door hinges. He then did something else that Noah could add to the list of things that he couldn't process. Brian looked at him, more puzzled than anything else, and asked him, "Who are you?"

Luke turned to Brian, surprisingly irritated for being caught by his boyfriend in bed with his grandmother's ex. Weren't people supposed to feel guilty when they cheated? But apparently Luke didn't think he'd done anything wrong. He glared at Noah as if NOAH was the one intruding. And maybe he was, because Luke seethed, "Brian, this is my ex, Noah."

Noah was stunned by the vehemence in Luke's reaction as much as his words. Noah knew he had to do something, say something to get Luke to explain why they were suddenly over. But there was just too much that wasn't making sense, and his mind was moving like cold molasses. Not to mention the heavy smell of sex in the room was making his heart and stomach lurch. Despite how much being with Luke had changed him, how he'd tried to be as brave as Luke was, in that moment he reacted the way he always had before he came out.

He ran.

Luke entered his parents' family room, desperately trying to find Noah. He'd skipped out early on the Foundation business he'd had that morning to help Noah move in, only to find Noah's belongings, Noah's truck, but no Noah. Noah's cell phone was inexplicably 'not in service', and no one had seen him since yesterday. That wasn't like Noah, at all, and made Luke worry that something had happened to him. Luke briefly wondered if Lucinda could hurry the police into putting out a missing persons report, when he heard a rattling noise coming from the living room.

Luke nose twitched as it often did when he entered the over-scented living room. He'd half expected to see Ethan, but Noah was there instead, and Luke ran to embrace him. As soon as he did, Luke knew something was wrong. Noah stood in Luke's arms like a dead stick, the look on his face sheer discomfort at them being so close.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked, as he reluctantly broke off.

"I think you know what's wrong," Noah told him. He was shaking, which even after all this time was a weakness Noah only let Luke see on VERY serious occasions. If Luke wasn't sure that Noah's father was dead, he'd guess that they only had a few minutes to live.

Luke thought back over the last couple of days, trying to think of what could have set Noah off like this. And came up blank. "Noah, you know that whatever happens, we can get through it as long as we're together."

"I used to think that," Noah admitted, looking even more pained. "But we have to face facts. This little love affair of ours was doomed from the beginning."

Luke was shocked. He was absolutely sure that nothing either of them had done over the last few days had warranted them breaking up forever. Not even their previous break-ups had been so bad as to cause Noah to doubt their entire relationship. He couldn't think of anything that could be so bad.

Unless Noah felt horribly guilty about something. Something that triggered all that paranoia that he tried so hard to keep buried. Had he cheated? Was he in love with someone else? Luke couldn't imagine either possibility. A nasty part of Luke's mind, part that he didn't like acknowledging the existence of, wondered if Noah was feeling guilty about Maddie.

Which was stupid, unless Maddie had returned unexpectedly. Which she hadn't. She left town almost immediately after she'd walked out on Noah. Luke's mind briefly flirted with his occasionally recurring nightmare that Maddie had come back with Noah's child.

And you can stop that line of thought right now, Luke Snyder, he told himself. One, you saw Maddie last Christmas and she was clearly not pregnant. Two, you're letting your insecurities run away with you.

Three, Noah is right in front of you. Why not ask HIM what's bothering him. "Noah--"

Noah winced. "I'd rather you didn't use my given name right now. I can't bear it. Not on today of all days."

Luke stepped towards Noah and was stunned to find Noah stepping back. Okay, now Noah had moved from inexplicably upset, to crazy upset. Luke stepped forward again, though this time it was with greater caution. Noah didn't move that time, and Luke moved forward again, getting almost within physical contact before deciding that was as far as he should push his luck for now. "What's going on? I don't understand why you're so upset."

Noah stared at him like Luke was stupid or crazy. It was not a pleasant reaction. "You don't understand?" he repeated. "What do you mean you don't understand?"

"I get that you're scared," Luke told him, soothingly. There was still the matter of WHY, but then he was hoping once Noah was calmed down, he'd get to that. "But Noah. Don't you know by now that no matter what happens, we're us. Nothing is going to change that. Nothing CAN change that."

"I really wish I could believe that." But Noah was, thankfully, listening for now. And looking less panicked by the second.

Luke just hoped that he could keep it going. "I love you. And you love me. Right?" Although given how fatalistic Noah was right now, Luke wasn't sure he wanted to hear Noah's response. It wasn't going to be much fun if Noah started denying his feelings again.

Noah was still that much Noah, though. Even if Luke did miss the brief flash of surprise on Noah's face. "I- I do love you," he insisted. "Can we really do this?"

Luke shivered, uncomfortable. If Noah was starting to calm down, why were Luke's nerves still raw. This still felt wrong. Noah felt wrong. Luke didn't know how to fix it. Or how to take that sad haunted look from Noah's face. So he did what he often did when he was confused and shaken. He kissed Noah.

It wasn't anything like it had been up to this point. Noah was almost frantic in his response to Luke's kiss. Not really a surprise given where Noah was coming from, but it wasn't making Luke any the less out of sorts.

It did help that Noah was yanking off Luke's tie. Luke hated it, even for Foundation business, and he briefly wondered if it was his physical comfort that was sending his instincts racing. This was his Noah, his baby. Nothing out of the ordinary about that.

He believed that right up until the second that Noah ripped Luke's shirt right off of him. "Whoa. A little public for that, isn't it?"

Noah blushed. "You're right," he murmured, though his voice was low with need. Need, and still a little bit of fear. "Let's go upstairs."

Well, that was unexpected. Not unwanted, obviously. But Luke was surprised that Noah was so suddenly willing to throw caution to the wind. "Really?"

Noah frowned, puzzled for some reason. But the fear and heat in his eyes drowned that out rather quickly. "Luke, I'm so scared. I need you. I need to be with you today so that I'm sure that I can still do this. So that I know that we aren't going to be all over."

"Well, I was kind of hoping that we could enjoy ourselves, too," Luke teased, hoping to inject some levity into Noah. He didn't want their first time together to be completely bogged down in angst.

It worked. Noah smiled, so unexpected that Luke almost didn't recognize it. "You're right. I'm being a fool. But it got you to tell me you love me, so I suppose it wasn't completely a waste." They kissed again, Luke starting to get a better feel for this new, intense Noah.

Luke knew that there was something bothering Noah, some problem that the possibility of sex had pushed into insignificance, but would eventually be back. But they'd waited so long, out of Noah's insecurities, and his own. That the day was finally here, and Noah was initiating it (meaning that Noah had overcome his own insecurities, and saving Luke from his own fear of rejection), made it hard for Luke to say no. Surely they could deal with whatever problems they had just as well after they'd been together as before.

The front door opened. Luke knew that the time had come to duck up the back stairs, up to his room, but whole sections of his brain were shorting out from the intensity of Noah's mouth and hands on him. The decision to pull back was agonizingly slow in coming (damnit, this was exactly the reason why they kept getting interrupted). Luke resigned himself to the inevitable(all the while hoping that once they dealt with whoever it was, that they could get back on track upstairs), but neither he nor Noah was able to focus on the task at hand when they heard a familiar voice call out, "Mayer? What are you doing here? Who is-- Good Lord!"

Luke turned to meet eyes that went from shocked and angry to flabbergasted in a split second on seeing him.

Because Luke found himself staring at … himself.

Noah ended up at Java, more from sense memory than anything else. Noah's legs ached, and he realized that he'd left his truck at the farm. Back where he'd seen--

No. It didn't make any sense. Not only would Luke never sleep with Brian, they both acted like Brian had never met Noah before. What was going on? Maybe it was him. Maybe he had some kind of brain tumor. Those were supposed to cause mental disruption, weren't they? At least he could rule out a stroke; that was definitely the smell of coffee, and not burnt toast all around him.

Now that his mind seemed to have been unstuck, finally, it didn't seem to be able to stop. His head was still whirling when Jeff stepped out from behind the counter and headed to him. "Where have you been? You were supposed to start work fifteen minutes ago." Anyone else might have been angry, but Jeff merely looked concerned. "You didn't run into your ex, did you?"

"Luke?" Noah asked, surprised by a second person using that term in one morning. Okay, that blew away half a dozen of Noah's theories, and substantiated about a dozen more.

"You have another ex?" Jeff asked.

Noah was sure that he was going to grind his teeth into nothing if people didn't stop referring to Luke as his ex. Noah was about to drag Jeff aside and ask him what the hell was going on, when he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Jeff, I'm so sorry I'm late. My truck--"

Noah turned around. Noah was struck momentarily dumb. And Jeff looked in shock from one Noah to another. "Whoa."

Faced with yet another impossibility, Noah's mind was desperately close to shutting down. He clung to rationality, knowing that if he had a mental breakdown right now that he'd likely wake up in an institution. Assuming that he woke up at all. He was dangerously tempted by catatonia, and that didn't even take into account the possibility that his becoming distrustful other self might decide to get violent. It wasn't something he would likely do himself, but he didn't know if this other guy was like him inside, and even if he was, these were extreme circumstances. Noah grasped desperately for a reasonable explanation. When one wasn't forthcoming, he groped for an unlikely answer. By the time he was searching for a crazy theory, he did think of something.

It Happened Here.

One of the few old Science Fiction movies Noah had seen as a child, and the only one that opened him up to the possibility of other realities. If there was a universe where Hitler could win the World War Two, could there be one where Luke had broken up with him and hooked up with Brian? It was definitely crazy, but it was also the only theory he had at the moment. Noah remembered that Jeff wrote fan fiction, and realized that that might be his only hope in getting someone to believe in him.

Once he'd thought that, though, it occurred to him that no one in Oakdale seemed to know who he was. Wherever 'here' was, it certainly wasn't HIS home. His next immediate thought was the realization that he didn't know where 'his' Luke was. Not surprisingly, that scared him more than possibly being lost forever.

Jeff must have been thinking the same things though, because he was looking from one Noah to the other, confused but with determined concentration on his face. He ultimately turned back to Noah (the Noah that was him, not the other Noah who wasn't him and damn, that hurt his head) and noted with surprising, if gratifying calm, "Okay, given that that one knows he was supposed to work today, I'm guessing he's the real Noah. So who the hell are you?" It was also gratifying that again, while someone else would have sounded angry, Jeff was reacting only with concern.

Not that Noah knew how to answer that question. Yesterday, it was an academic question, one best left for philosophers. Now it seemed vitally important, not only for his sanity, but also very possibly his life. "I wish I knew." Luke, where are you? He thought. I need you.

(to be continued)


	2. Past Lives

Thanks so much for the reviews. Nukeluvr318, I hope that your head hurts in a good way. Lanie12777, I'm glad you're enjoying the ride, and am relieved that the plot isn't too convoluted to follow. I was a little irritated when my scene breaks disappeared, making a confusing situation even more so. I think I've fixed it, though.

Here it is, Part Two

Past Lives

Luke literally backed into an oil lamp.

He hadn't realized that it was an oil lamp until that moment. But as he pulled his hand back from the too hot glass, he looked around and realized that wherever he was, it wasn't his parent's living room. At least not quite. The draperies were too dark, the TV was gone. In fact, everything that needed a cord or a battery was gone. It was chilly but Luke couldn't hear the furnace kick in even though it clearly should have by now. And now that he was listening for it, Luke realized that all the normal sounds that he recognized as home were completely gone.

Luke looked at Noah and realized with a start that he didn't recognize the clothes that Noah was wearing. Luke didn't know enough about fashion to judge exactly what Noah was wearing, but it looked old. Like antique old, not simply worn old. And since Luke had been with Noah long enough to have seen everything in Noah's wardrobe, Luke could tell with certainty that Noah didn't actually OWN the clothes he was wearing. At least, the Noah that HE knew didn't.

There was an extra Luke in the room, though. Maybe he recognized the clothes. "Who are you?"

The other Luke bristled at Luke's demanded question. He was no doubt angry catching what was presumably HIS Noah in the arms of someone else, but there was more than that. The other Luke carried himself differently than Luke imagined he did. More polish, and a pride in himself that reminded Luke of his biological father, Damian. "I'm Luciano Grimaldi, who the hell are you?"

Luciano? Grimaldi? Well that at least explained the regal carriage and attitude. "I'm Luke Snyder." Luke tried not to sound angry, but this other Luke, this Luciano was seriously riling him up. Plus he always got defensive when he knew he'd done something wrong, and the Luke and Noah that had been about to have sex a few minutes ago apparently had no business doing so.

"Snyder?" Luciano repeated.

"Isn't that the name of your mother's stable boy?" a worried, and puzzled Noah asked. Gone was the heartbroken Noah Luke had first seen, pushed aside by more immediate concerns. Unfortunately the loving one was gone as well. This Mayer guy was looking at Luke like he was some kind of threat. It reminded Luke too much of that summer before he and Noah got together, and he couldn't repress a shudder.

Luke was starting to wonder if he really HAD gone back in time. The room definitely looked more like it had in the pictures he'd seen of it before his parents had renovated, and that had been back when they'd first bought the house, years ago.

Luciano turned to Mayer with a pained grimace. "Stable boy cum boyfriend," he noted before turning back to Luke, the hard edge back in his voice. "Are you one of his relatives? Why do you look like me?"

"That's a long story," Luke admitted, hoping that Luciano wouldn't demand to hear it because honestly he didn't know what it was. Though given reversed circumstances, Luke would likely demand the same answers. "Look, I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I'm starting to realize just how big of trouble I'm in and I think I really need some help."

LUKEAND NOAHFOREVER

Noah, well Other!Noah and Other!Jeff exchanged a concerned look. "You do realize that's the craziest thing I've ever heard, don't you?" Other!Noah asked. He kept his voice low, so his voice wouldn't carry, which Noah appreciated. The pair of Noahs was drawing a lot of attention, for obvious reasons as well as the fact that having both Other!Noah and Other!Jeff sitting at one of the tables had brought service in Java to a crawl.

Bad enough that Noah was a freak show, he wouldn't appreciate his very awkward conversation becoming town gossip. Even if this wasn't HIS Oakdale. "Believe me," Noah told him (himself? Trying to keep this straight was giving Noah a headache), "if it wasn't, I think I'd be even more freaked out than I am now."

"So in your universe, Noah got back together with Luke after his father died?" Other!Jeff asked. Noah looked at him, and was surprised to see only concern and interest in his eyes.

Other!Noah looked at Other!Jeff, shocked. "You can't seriously be buying this."

"Well, something weird is going on. I don't think that at this point we can start eliminating posibilities just because they sound too crazy," Other!Jeff pointed out with a cheeky smile.

Noah smiled in relief. He should have known that Jeff would hear him out, no matter which Jeff it was. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well, you'd just better be telling the truth," Other!Jeff grinned. "If you're just Noah's evil twin, and you're just trying to make fools of us, I'm gonna kick your ass."

Other!Noah didn't look convinced, but he warily asked. "You got back together with Luke last summer?"

"Yeah," Noah replied, well aware that he was squirming in his seat at the very memory of being broken up with Luke. He'd been so relieved that Luke hadn't given up on him, that it had never occurred to him what might have happened if he had. Just like he'd never wanted to think about what his life would be like if he'd never come out.

Noah was briefly relieved that he was here, and not in THAT reality. "Cyndi Lauper was here for Pride, and got Luke and I to straighten everything out." Noah realized that his hands were shaking, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. God, I wasted so much time with him, and now who knows if I'll ever see him again.

"Cyndi Lauper was here?" Other!Jeff asked, surprised.

Surprise that Other!Noah shared. "That would have been so cool." Though there was that hint of regret in his voice, that told Noah that this Other!Noah missed more than just a cool concert.

LUKEAND NOAHFOREVER

"Two Thousand and Nine?" Mayer repeated. It was the first thing any of them had said since Luke finished his story.

Luke wasn't particularly surprised that THAT was going to be the hard part of his story for them to believe. Although what he was starting to understand was leading him to a rather unpleasant realization. "Yeah. I know I'm going to regret asking, but what year is this?"

"The year of our Lord, Eighteen Hundred and SEVENTY-Nine," Mayer told him.

Luke's legs folded underneath him, and he was damned lucky that there was an ottoman behind him, or he could very easily have cracked his head on the stone floor. "Okay, that was a lot further back than I was expecting." He tried to maintain his composure, but he could feel tears leaking out. "How am I supposed to get home?"

The suspicion fell from Mayer's face, as he instinctively wrapped his arms around Luke. "We'll think of something." Despite the fact that Luke knew next to nothing about science, and the people living in Oakdale almost a century and a half ago weren't likely to have much more information. Luke shook, and Mayer just held him like he was his own Luciano.

"That boy." Luciano had been silent this entire time, and it made Luke jump to hear his own voice coming from somewhere else.

Luke looked up to see Luciano staring at him. It wasn't a friendly look. Not surprising again, given that he'd walked in on his lover about ready to have sex with someone else. But with being apparently lost in time, Luke clearly wasn't thinking about sex. And having Luciano getting up in his face about misplaced jealousy was something Luke would rather hold off on for, oh about a hundred and thirty YEARS. "What boy?" Luke asked, completely flummoxed by the comment that had no context behind it that either he or this other Noah could follow.

"I met a strange boy today in the park," Luciano told him. "A boy that said his parents were from 2009." Mayer stood up, shocked at the news. The second he did, Luciano seemed to relax, somewhat.

Luke blushed as he belatedly realized his other self had been envious, not on what he'd walked in on, but of Mayer holding him. "Who was he?" Luke asked, as he tried to pull himself back together. This might be just the clue he needed to get back home.

"He didn't say. He was tall, somewhat Semitic features, blond--"

"Blond?" Luke interrupted. In the back of his mind, he'd thought it was Noah, HIS Noah, but now--

"If he looked like Noah, I'd have said that immediately," Luciano snapped.

Mayer winced at him. "Luciano," he pleaded.

Luciano's face softened immediately. "I wasn't really in the mood to talk. I just walked off. I suppose it was rather rude." Luciano shook his face, apologetic, but dismissive in the way Luke was starting to hate. A way that seemed to be his natural way of dealing with things. "We'll have to try and find him again."

Luciano was headed for the door, when Mayer stopped him with another moan. "Wait. We can't go, now. The guests-- They'll be arriving soon."

Luciano looked back at him, eyes widening. "God, the wedding. I actually forgot."

"So did I. Briefly."

"You guys are getting--" Luke just barely managed to cut himself off before being faced with two angst ridden expressions. Of course they weren't marrying each other. Beyond the obvious current illegality of it, Mayer and Luciano clearly didn't look like they were about to be wed. What was it Mayer had said earlier? This little affair was doomed from the beginning?

As much as he would like to think it was Holden and Lily's counterparts in this time that were getting married, what he'd already heard discounted that theory. Which left him with one other. One that left his blood running cold as he asked, "Who's- Who's getting married?"

Luciano and Mayer shared a pain filled look. "I am," Mayer told him. "This afternoon. To Miss Madeline Coleman."

"No!" The reaction was instinctive, especially after hearing who it was that Mayer was marrying. Luke stood up, and approach Mayer with such intensity, that Mayer actually backed up a step. He knew that he shouldn't do anything that could change history, but this didn't feel like history. This felt like his life. The fact that there was this amazing amount of similarities between now, and his own past was just too much of a goad to ignore. "You can't marry her. You're in love with me! I mean, him! You know what I mean!"

Mayer looked at Luciano again, who offered a hand that was lovingly taken. "I do. But we can't be together like that anymore. We've just run out of time."

"I thought it was too late for us," Luciano told Luke. "But if what you tell us is right, it seems it was sadly too early."

"No," Luke repeated, determined. He started for the door, then whirled around when the other two made no move to follow him. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Mayer asked.

"We're going to find this genie you found in the park," Luke told them. "And then we're going to get our last two wishes."

(To be continued)


	3. Search and Rescue

Noah sighed as he worried the splinter in the table he was sitting at. It was weird that the table had worn down in the same place as it had in his universe, but not weirder than the fact that it was still here long after he'd already fixed it. "I don't know about this." Other!Jeff seemed to have every contingency planned, but given the basic insanity of the situation, their options to fix everything were likewise insane.

"You have another plan?" Other!Jeff challenged him. "Since we don't have any idea of how you got here, we're going to have to plan for everything. I'll e-mail my friend studying Quantum Mechanics for hints on how spatial rifts work."

"Assuming he believes you," Noah pointed out.

"I'll tell him it's research," Other!Jeff insisted. He unabashedly reached into Other!Noah's bag and pulled out a handful of paper. "But just in case this is some kind of wish-verse, you're going to write down everything that happened to you today, no matter how unimportant. And to make sure we've got all our bases covered, our Noah is going to put on his big boy pants and finally TALK to our Luke about everything that's been festering the last six months."

Noah smiled a little, not feeling hopeful yet, but not completely hopeless, either. "I would never have guessed that having a fan fiction writer as a friend might turn out to be my salvation."

"He's got quite an imagination, that's for sure." Other!Noah was leaning back in his seat, looking uncomfortable and not at all like he was about to head anywhere.

"Noah," Other!Jeff chided gently, his chair creaking as he leaned forward.

"This isn't going to work!" Other!Noah exclaimed.

"Noah," Other!Jeff repeated, crisply. It was a shock, as neither Noah had ever seen either of their Jeffs reach the end of his patience. And given that he worked in the service industry, that was saying a lot. "Luke still loves you, you'd have to be blind, deaf, and living in Bay City to not notice. I didn't say anything before, because it's your business, and you and Luke weren't hurting anyone but yourselves. NOW, you are."

"I didn't say I wasn't going," Other!Noah insisted, though he looked shamed. "I just said this isn't going to work."

"If you need seduction tips, you do have someone else with insight," Other!Jeff quipped, all annoyance suddenly gone, and a thumb directed at Noah.

Both Noahs went red with embarrassment. "I know how to seduce Luke, trust me," Other!Noah declared.

"I, ah--" Noah stammered. "We haven't actually--"

"You haven't?" Other!Jeff asked, shocked. At Noah's embarrassed nod, Other!Jeff rolled his eyes and sighed playfully. "You two are HOPELESS!"

Noah's face fell so hard that he wouldn't have been surprised if it hit the table. This was not the time to be reminding him of the fact that he'd wasted almost every second he'd ever had with Luke. Especially given that there was now no guarantee that he'd get any more. "I'd noticed."

Other!Jeff winced, immediately repentant. "Dude, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that." He laid his hand comfortingly on Noah's shoulder. Noah had to fight the urge to just give up and sob into his friend's Java uniform. Besides the uncomfortable polyester, only Luke was going to make him feel better.

Other!Jeff smiled that soothing smile his counterpart was famous for. "I just- Promise me that when you finally get back home, you're gonna lay that boy on his back and sex him up." The comment was so unexpected that both Noahs snorted with laughter. Other!Jeff turned back to Other!Noah, this time a cheeky smile on his face. "And YOU go do it now."

LUKEAND NOAHFOREVER

Luke had been searching the park for about half an hour. At least that's what his cell phone told him; it wasn't much good for much else this far in the past. He kept checking it, though. It was somehow comforting to know exactly what time it was at home, and he didn't know what he'd do once the battery ran out of power.

Of course, if he had his old phone, which lost bars and clockworks even on some spots on his Grandma's farm, he wouldn't even have that.

He ran back to the gate they'd entered the park through, in time to see Mayer and Luciano come running up from the directions they'd headed in. Unfortunately, they both came back alone. It was getting late in the afternoon, and if this boy went someplace else, they might never find him. "Nothing?!" Luke asked, barely able to keep from whimpering.

"How can one lose a person from a hundred and thirty years in the future?" Mayer asked , rhetorically. He was, for both Noah's, uncharacteristically irritated. "You stand out even WITHOUT being in Luciano's company."

"Perhaps he's gone," Luciano suggested hopefully. "Perhaps the effect is temporary."

"Perhaps," Mayer considered.

Luke wasn't so convinced. Of course, he was the one that was stuck here. He had a right to be less calm about the situation. "Believe me, I'm not that lucky."

Mayer looked at Luciano. One of those pained looks that Luke was growing to hate. A reminder that Luke wasn't the only one that was stuck here. "Neither are we."

Luke winced. "Not what I meant," he insisted, trying to be upbeat. "Come on, we'll find him."

"We need to be getting back," Luciano told him, reluctantly. "The wedding is in a few hours."

That was the last thing Luke needed to be reminded of. He remembered how awful it had been for him, watching Noah marry Ameera. But that was a mission of mercy, trying to keep her from being deported. He couldn't imagine how it would feel like knowing that this marriage was permanent. That Noah would be going home with her. Making love to her. Especially since that 'her' was Maddie, and that opened up a whole different can of insecurities. "But--"

"I applaud your trying to bribe us with some imaginary happy ending," Luciano said, rather condescendingly. "But we have obligations. Once… it … is over, assuming you haven't found him, you have my word that we- I will come back."

"So that's it, then?" Luke snapped. "Tough luck for all of us, but there's nothing we can do?"

"There IS nothing we can do," Luciano insisted, just as calmly as before, but Luke could sense frustration building in him. "There may be someone able to rescue you in this 'miraculous future' of yours, but in the here and now, WE are POWERLESS."

Luke frowned, feeling disgusted and just as willing to talk down to Luciano. "You know, you may look like me, but I don't know who the hell you are."

"Well, I'm not you," Luciano pointed out tersely.

"You got that right," Luke fired back, reminded of a similar conversation he'd had with Noah so very long ago. Though this time he was trying to shame himself, rather than Noah. So instead of repeating his comment from back then, that at least he was happy with who he was, he went right for, "At least I'm not a damned coward."

Luciano's eyes blazed with anger. "How DARE you. You presumptuous little--"

"Okay so maybe this guy can't wave a magic wand and fix all our problems," Luke conceded, though he was still sniping with frustration. It was probably wrong to say any of this, but Luke thought that Luciano needed to hear it. And this pompous asshole was going to hear it. "But if you're ANYTHING like me, there's no way in HELL you're going to let Noah just walk out of your life like this."

"What do you expect us to do?" Luciano shouted. It would have been scary if you couldn't hear the pain radiating out of his voice. "Run off into the future with you?"

"Maybe, " Luke replied, anger and fear making him glib. "Maybe you should just take the Grimaldi money, find some deserted island somewhere, and just tell everyone else that they can go fuck themselves."

"Just like that?' Mayer almost sounded like he was scoffing, but be damned if Luke didn't hear something in his voice that sounded like consideration.

"No," Luke answered, quiet and calm. "Luckily enough for me, the first step is deciding you'd rather stay here on what could turn out to be a wild goose chase, than go and marry someone who isn't him." With a gesture to Luciano, though Luke was pretty sure Mayer was smart enough to assume that's who they were talking about.

Mayer and Luciano looked at each other and, hallelujah, for once it wasn't painfully. They just gaped at each other, shocked, for several minutes, before Mayer quietly said, "Luke," to Luciano, not to Luke. "I'm staying."

That provoked a complete change in Luciano. Gone was the arrogant façade, the crisp elegant sophistication. There was just a young man, smiling with love glowing in his glistening eyes. "Really?" Luciano looked at him only a second more before replying. "Okay."

LUKEAND NOAHFOREVER

Noah threw down his pencil, irritated. "This isn't working." He'd been writing down everything he could think of about that day. But it had been half an hour, and he still didn't have much more than he'd had after his first run through.

"Drawing a blank?" Other!Jeff asked, as he texted person after person from the other side of the table. Java had pretty much emptied out, owing to Jeff still not getting back to work, and lack of interest now that there was only one Noah in the coffee shop again.

Noah could only hope that his boss in this dimension was as forgiving as the one he'd left. "I'm going to retrace my steps. Maybe I'll remember something else."

"Good luck. I'll text if I find anything." Though Noah wasn't entirely sure that his phone would receive messages from alternate universes. Did his provider think of that? This message comes from a dimension other than this one. Some universes may contain viruses that your current filters may not be able to guard against. Download our current-- God, if he kept up with these maudlin jokes he really would lose his sanity.

"Thanks. I'm going to need all the luck I can get." There was a bell on the main door at Java. Noah remembered hearing it when he opened the door on his way in, despite how freaked out he'd been. So it was a surprise that it suddenly didn't seem to be working. He turned around to mention to Other!Jeff what a sad rattle it was making.

But Java wasn't there anymore.

Noah found himself on a rolling hillside, with about a million cave entrances embedded into it. He'd clearly jumped again, though god only knew where he was now. The only clue seemed to be the rattle. He'd heard it before, at the farm before he'd seen Luke (Other!Luke, he reminded himself shakily). Could that be some kind of trigger?

Before he could consider this further he found himself shoved to the ground from behind. Rough hands started pulling at the waist of his pants, trying with limited success to pull them down. Noah tried to break free and run, but whoever it was who'd attacked him was a lot stronger, and Noah found himself securely pinned to the ground. Fearing the worst (which was likely the best course of action in the current situation) Noah found a burst of adrenaline that at least allowed him to get himself turned around.

Only to stop short at what he was seeing.

The hair was wild, and a shaggy beard covered his face, but it was definitely Luke. A Luke in animal skins, looking every inch a caveman. A Luke who, based on the hard bulge digging into Noah's thigh, was much happier to see him than the one he'd just come from. "NNNNNNNN?" It seemed to be the limit to Cave!Luke's speech.

Of course, Noah's speech wasn't that much better at that point. He was barely able to close his mouth enough to gasp, "Luke?"

Cave!Luke sat there for a moment, clearly puzzled by this clean shaven version of what was presumably his own Noah. Noah didn't have time to marvel at the fact that even here, there was a Luke and Noah who were together, before Cave!Luke finally let him go and got up, only half standing. He turned around, calling out "NNNNNNNN?" as he departed. After only a couple of calls, another familiar voice answered with "LLLLLLLL!" This seemed to make Cave!Luke happy, and he bounded off in that direction.

Noah's head flopped back on the ground as he sighed in disgust. "Oh, my god."

LUKEAND NOAHFOREVER

They searched until the sun was going down before they found the boy. He seemed to be about sixteen years old, and so matched Luciano's descriptions (both his initial one and the more thorough one he'd made on his way here), that Luke recognized him immediately. And despite Luciano's earlier comment, there was something about the boy that made Luke instantly think of Noah. Something else, too that made Luke feel instantly connected to him. Finally there was the pathos of the fact that he was sitting forlornly on a park bench at the far end of the park, staring at the setting sun. No, it wasn't possible for your heart not to go out to him.

Luciano sighed quietly, "It would figure that he'd be at the opposite end of the park than the one we started at."

Mayer smiled at him, though. "Lucky we don't have anywhere we have to be."

"That's me: Lucky Luciano," he smiled back. But as Luke started for the boy, Luciano called out a caution: "I should warn you, he'll likely react as oddly to you as he did to me."

Luke was about to ask what that meant, but the sound of Luciano's voice had alerted the boy to their presence. He turned around, and his eyes widened as they took in first one Luke, then the other. He finally turned his gaze from Luciano, to stare at Luke with hope that took Luke's breath away.

Even before the boy called out, "Dad?"

(to be continued)


	4. The Boy

Sorry about the long wait, I was sick for most of November, and then had a crap load of things to catch up on. Of course, I'm not sure anyone is still reading this, so maybe you don't mind. If there IS anyone still out there, I'll try to update frequently again.

I don't own Luke and Noah, but given what happened this week, who knows what might happen next year. *big sad sigh* Let's hope for the best.

Part 4 -The Boy

Mayer and Luke both turned to Luciano. Both asked the same question, "Dad?" Luciano had neglected to mention that part.

Luciano shrugged. "I warned you. Definitely odd."

"I'd hope so," Luke told him. Given that Luke himself seemed to have traveled through time, there was always the possibility that this sixteen year old boy really was Luke's son, but Luke's brain was defiantly refusing to process what would be one insanity too many.

The boy came closer, but he was disappointed for some reason, and seemed to grow more disheartened with every step. "It's not you."

"That's a relief," Luciano noted. "There are limits to how much a person's faculties can stand in one day."

Mayer rubbed what appeared to be an aching head, already at that limit. Though that was no doubt because he'd already realized that, "His father must be twenty, if he mistook both of you. How is that possible?"

"You've got me," Luke replied, rubbing his temples as well. "Who are you?" he asked as the teen stopped in front of him.

"I--" The boy frowned, puzzled. "I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Luciano asked, the frost back in his voice.

"I don't know."

"That's ridiculous," Luciano told him. "You must have a name. An address. Even boys that just fall out of the sky have those," making a curt gesture at Luke.

The boy was clearly upset by the question, and Luke moved in front of him without thinking. "Calm down," Luke told his counterpart. "He's probably got amnesia or something."

Luke turned back to the boy. "We're not going to hurt you," he insisted. "We just want to help. What was the last thing you remember before you came here?"

The boy thought on that for a moment. "Just the other universe," he admitted. "I was there for a few minutes, and then I came here." He looked at Luke, tears forming in his eyes. "Am I really supposed to remember something before that?"

Luke really wanted to address the boy's concerns. Either assure him that it didn't matter, or (more selfishly, he admitted) try to draw the information out. But he couldn't get past the first part of the boy's revelation. "What do you mean, 'other universe'?"

"The one I was looking for my fathers in," the boy replied. "I couldn't find them, so I came here."

"So this isn't my past?" Luke asked. "And I'm not screwing up the timeline by getting these two together?"

Luciano was once again shocked out of his upper class snobbery. "You-- You were going to risk that for us?"

Luke was about to answer, but the boy answered HIS question first. Looking at Luke in an odd way that made Luke feel like the boy was looking at Luke's soul. Which may have been the case, because the boy told him, "No. You don't belong in this reality any more than I do. "

"Do you remember HOW you got here?" Luke asked. "Please. It's really important."

"I was looking for my father," the boy repeated. "I sensed you come here, and I followed."

Luke looked at Mayer and Luciano who, like him, were suddenly grinning. While they'd all hoped that there was some way for Luke to get home, it was a pleasant surprise to find that it would be that easy. Luke looked back at the boy, "So you can bring me back to my own universe?"

The boy considered that. He looked like he really wanted to, but he shook his head. "I-- …no."

Luke's face fell, and he was sure Mayer and Luciano's had as well. "What do you mean, no?" he asked, barely managing to pull a burst of frustration that would have surely upset the boy.

"I can't sense a universe that far away," the boy explained. He seemed just as distressed as the others were that he couldn't oblige Luke. Almost frightened. "The only reason that I found this one, was because you're almost my dad. And I sensed you. And I followed."

"Which brings us back to the question of how Luke managed to sire a boy only a few years younger than himself," Mayer noted. "Especially since none of you so far have any interest in coupling with a woman."

Luciano snickered at that, but the boy looked at Mayer like he'd just made the stupidest observation ever. "My other parent is an alternate version of you."

Mayer's face lost all expression. "Oh," he finally stated.

Ordinarily this would have been something that was of great interest to Luke. He and Noah had talked about children (Yes, it was too early, but with Luke's younger brother and sisters it was inevitable that it would come up), and both really wanted one someday. But Luke had suddenly been hit with inspiration and Luke turned back to the boy, smiling again. "You can sense people in the other universes, right?"

"Just Lukes and Noahs," the boy corrected. He was still frowning, but this time with concentration. Luke could tell just by looking that he wanted desperately to help this man that looked like his father. This man who was just as lost as he was.

"Good enough," Luke replied, having already anticipated this. "And you can sense the difference between us and your dad. Can you see the difference between me and Luciano?"

"I couldn't at first. But I can now. There's something that he and this Noah have in common that you don't have. I can't really explain it."

"You don't have to," Luke insisted. "All you need to do is find a Noah out there that has that same thing in common with me. That'll be MY Noah!"

"Of course," Luciano noted, though it was clear from the looks on his and Mayer's faces that this exchange had gone over their heads.

The boy's eyes, on the other hand, widened with surprise and relief. "I think so. Yes. Just give me a minute to look."

LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER

Noah Mayer sat in the brig of an American warship, watching through a porthole as waves slammed against the hull. He thought about how dangerous it was for his counterpart in this universe to be above decks at a time like this, but he didn't really have much say in the matter. He knew that it was dangerous for him to be showing up in places that already had a Noah, but he never anticipated that he'd be in danger of going before a firing squad for being an enemy spy.

It was almost a relief to hear the now familiar rattle. He was pretty sure he'd reached the pinnacle of dangerous situations.

Until he appeared in the middle of a battleground. With another Luke that very quickly pulled a vicious looking pistol at him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Umm." Noah tried to calm himself. This was sadly, a common reaction when people saw him; anger, distrust, and weapons for what was now the sixteenth time. It didn't take long for Noah's heart to slow to normal, and how messed up was it that he was becoming desensitized to being at the wrong end of a gun barrel. "I'm not going to hurt you. Luke, I need your help."

Luke sneered at that. "Oh, is that what you're going for? You can't get into our camp to replace Noah, so you're trying to convince me that you're the real Noah, and the one I just left is the fake one?"

"No," Noah insisted, shocked. "I'm sure he's real. I'm real, too. I'm just-- I'm not from around here."

"This is pathetic," Armed!Luke told him. "Why do you keep trying this? Isn't it enough to shoot us dead? Do you get off on turning us against each other?"

"Luke, please calm down," Noah insisted. "My Luke would be really sad if you put a bullet in me. Trust me."

Armed!Luke didn't seem to know how to respond to that. He tried to laugh. He tried to scoff. Neither worked out that well. Finally he just shook his head, presumably to clear out everything that Noah had told him that didn't make sense. Which was admittedly a long list. "Trust you? I'm just supposed to believe that wherever you come from, you just happened to have the last Abercrombie and Fitch store that survived Judgment Day?"

"Luke--"

"You're right that you're not going to hurt me, though." Noah winced as he heard the blaster Armed!Luke was carrying power up. "I'm the one that's going to hurt you."

LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER

Mayer and Luciano moved closer to Luke while the boy concentrated on finding Noah. "You look very serious for a man about to get back everything he ever wanted," Mayer noted.

"Oh believe me, I'm ecstatic," Luke replied. "I'm just worried about this poor kid. How lonely and scary it'll be for him, wandering every universe out there, all by himself. Maybe…. Maybe when I get back he can stay with me while he looks for his parents. Like a base camp or something. At least he wouldn't have to be alone all the time."

Luciano shrugged, doubtful. "I don't know. How happy would you have been to stay here, while we found YOUR home?"

Luke half-smiled at that. "Not very," he admitted. "But I have to try something."

Luciano smiled back. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

The boy suddenly called out to them, "I've got him."

The three approached him again, Luke in the lead. "Kid, I really think you should stay with me in my universe until you find your own. What do you think?"

The boy seemed surprised by this. Of course, Mayer seemed a little stunned by Luke's boldness, too, which wasn't surprising. Luke was well known for charging in, while Noah was still carefully examining the situation. "You really wouldn't mind that?" The boy asked.

"Of course not," Luke smiled. "I know it's not the same as having your own Luke and Noah. God, how I understand that now," he chuckled as he looked back at Mayer and Luciano. "But I-- I know this sounds weird. I know I'm not your dad, but it almost feels like you're mine. There's just something about you that makes me want to hug you, and teach you how to ride a bike, and-- Okay, I really wasn't planning on sounding that psychotic. I'm even freaking myself out now." But from the glistening eyes, not only on the boy, but on Mayer and Luciano, it seemed like they were feeling the same kinship that he was.

Luciano finally spoke up, clearing his throat to make it sound a little less emotional. "I really think it would be for the best. Do we have an agreement?"

The boy nodded wordlessly.

"If you're going to be staying an extended period, you're going to need something for Luke to call you," Mayer pointed out. "Would you mind if we gave you a temporary name?" Another wordless response, this time a shake of the head. Not refusal, though.

Luciano looked over the boy carefully. "How about…Bryant?" he suggested.

Mayer nodded in approval. "Your cousin."

"Mine, too," Luke noted. "Is--" Luke broke off before he could ask what had happened to Bryant in this universe. He couldn't take it if Bryant was dead here, too. But it wouldn't be any less disheartening if he wasn't. Best not to know. "Is that okay with you?" he asked the boy instead.

The boy smiled. "Bryant is fine by me."

Luke grinned back at him. "Well, then. Bryant. Let's get going." Luke stood behind Bryant and placed his hands on Bryant's shoulders, assuming that physical contact would help matters. This left him looking at Mayer and Luciano. "Good luck, you guys."

If they had anything to say in response, Luke didn't hear it. Because they were standing someplace else. The most disconcerting part being that he hadn't felt a thing. Just like last time, there was that odd rattle, but no physical sensation. But now he shivered with an unexpectedly cool wind. He looked around excitedly, looking for Noah. But everything he saw made the smile he had on his face evaporate.

No Noah, but given their surroundings it was almost a relief not to see him there. It was still dark, but it was also clearly not home, unless they were on some other part of the planet. The soil was burnt down to clay, and the sky was lit up not with stars but with mortar fire. Luke wondered if this was the Middle East, or maybe Afghanistan.

Before he could ask, he realized that Bryant's head was swiveling around, taking in the sights wildly. "Oh, god damnit!" he shouted.

"What?" Luke asked. "Where are we? If this is Oakdale--" He couldn't finish. If this wasn't home, that meant that Bryant's powers might not be fine tuned enough to EVER get them there. But then, how could this POSSIBLY be home?

"It is," Bryant replied, looking worried. "But this is the future of another universe."

"How did we end up here?" Luke asked, now totally confused. "I thought you had a lock on my Noah."

"I did," Bryant exclaimed. "He was here. And now he's gone."

"Gone? What do you--" Luke shivered as he looked around the battleground they were on, the smell of blood and burning metal hitting him for the first time. Luke realized with horror just what 'gone' might mean.

(to be continued)


	5. Oakdale and Malta

**Part 5 - Oakdale and Malta**

**Noah sat on the love seat in his and Luke's apartment. Trying not to think.**

**He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without the man he loved. He thought back to all the time he'd wasted. With Maddie, days upon days trapped in a closet that just got smaller as time went by. With his father, spending far too much energy trying to get the man to accept him and withdrawing from everyone when that failed. Even with Luke, fearing that he'd be abandoned once more after Luke found out that sex with him couldn't match up to what he'd be anticipating (ironic, since he'd found out when they finally were together that it was better than they were even hoping for). **

**Luke was dead. The man he loved was gone forever, and it was all his fault that they hadn't had more time while he was alive.**

**He fell into shadow as someone walked to stand over him. He vaguely remembered not closing the door all the way, and cursed himself for not arranging more privacy in his grief. Well, there was nothing to be done about it now. Noah looked up, steeled himself for another round of pointless compassion, only to be stunned by seeing that compassion coming from his own eyes.**

**This!Noah looked up at the Noah standing above him and gasped, "Who are you?"**

**Noah smiled sadly. "That's a long story. Are you okay?"**

**This!Noah let his head drop down again, already weary. "No. I wasted so much time with him."**

"**I know the feeling."**

"**Luke's dead." This!Noah looked up, surprised to hear a sharp gasp of horror. "He's dead, and I don't know how I'm going to go on without him." This!Noah started to cry, and Noah held him.**

"**I understand," Noah told him. This!Noah pulled back, frowning irritated. People always said that and they had no idea. No idea, at all. Noah persisted though. "No, I'm serious. I- I'm lost. I'm never going to see my Luke again, either."**

"**Oh." Well, then maybe he did understand. This!Noah started telling the story again. It didn't take long to get trapped in the memory again. "It all happened so fast. We were on Lucinda's yacht; I told him that it was too late in the year and too cold to be out on the water, but you know how he-- Reality did what he told it to, not the other way around. And then there was this explosion. I was knocked overboard, but Luke was still there. He must have been trapped or something, because there's no way-- Everything burned. I heard Luke screaming for me, but I couldn't-- It took everything I had just to stay afloat! GOD DAMN IT! WHY DID I DO THAT? IF I'D JUST STOPPED MOVING--"**

**Noah comforted him again, but the rest of his reaction was unexpected. Deep in thought, but not brooding. Like he was trying to remember something. "Did they-- They didn't make you identify the body, did they." Strange that it didn't sound like a question. **

**This!Noah shook his head. "They haven't found it yet. The yacht broke into pieces on the way down, and now the water's starting to freeze."**

**Noah's eyes widened. "I-- This might sound weird, but can I borrow your phone?" This!Noah didn't have a clue why, but he handed it over. Noah looked a little relieved as he scrolled through the contacts list. "There it is," he said, mostly to himself. "Hmm. It actually IS the same number here."**

**This!Noah didn't have long to wait to find out who Noah was phoning. "Jack, it's Noah. I know this sounds weird, but can you check on something from the night Luke-- The night he-- …Yeah. I need to know if there was any planes or boats leaving that night. … Specifically, I'm looking for a name. Dante Grimaldi."**

**LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER**

**Luke looked around at the ruined landscape, for the first time considering the possibility that Noah might have --- No. He couldn't even imagine it. Buck up, Snyder, Luke told himself. Bryant didn't say he was dead, you inferred that. He just said gone. Noah was here, and now he's-- "Wait, how is that possible? If he was here, and now he's not, that would mean--"**

"**He's lost too." Bryant worried. "If he's not in your universe, we might never find it."**

"**But he's still alive?' Luke asked. Please, Noah you've just got to be okay. Luke exhaled in relief when Bryant nodded. "Okay. We'll worry about my universe later. Where is Noah now?"**

"**You're looking for that other Noah?" It was Luke from this future. Luke looked up in surprise, but not as surprised as Future!Luke. Future!Luke made a reach for his belt, that Luke guessed was for a weapon. When one wasn't there, Future!Luke searched his pockets, growing more frantic.**

**Before Future!Luke had a chance to find something, Luke raised his hands, slightly. "Hey, it's okay. I know. You couldn't imagine running into someone who looks like you, and it's a little freaky. But we aren't going to hurt you."**

"**I actually AM used to it," Future!Luke snarled (giving up on his search for another gun, which was a relief). "But apparently I'm not supposed to worry, because everyone's FRIENDLY metal, today."**

**Luke was totally confused this, but Bryant was still able to focus on Future!Luke's earlier statement. "You saw another Noah? One that wasn't yours?"**

"**He stole my gun," Future!Luke informed them. "Then he just vanished into thin air."**

"**Yeah, that was probably Noah," Luke quipped. Luke turned to Bryant. "Can you find him?"**

"**I think so."**

**Luke turned back to his future alternate, hearing the sound of loud gears grinding behind them. Hearing it couldn't prepare him for what he was seeing.**

**It was some kind of robot, though no robot that Luke had seen to this point had ever had the hatred that Luke saw in it's eyes. Luke surprised himself by not freezing. "Get down!" He shouted as he tackled Future!Luke.**

**Luke was fast, but Bryant was faster. As the robot identified the two Lukes and aimed its own gun, Bryant pointed his hand at it. A blast of energy the size of a discus crossed from his hand to the robot in the time it took to realize that it had happened. The robot was vaporized a second later, and even that vapor seemed to disintegrate. All that was left was the machine's blaster, which hit the ground what seemed an eternity later.**

**Future!Luke was astonished. "I've never seen anyone-- I've never even seen THEM do that." Of course, he wasn't too astonished to take the robot's gun.**

**Bryant didn't respond to the comment. "I've got him."**

"**No kidding," Future!Luke gaped.**

**But Luke himself could tell, from the unfocused, inward looking look on Bryant's face, that he wasn't talking about the killer robot. "I don't suppose you can lock him down so he can't wander off again."**

"**Already done."**

"**Then let's go," Luke told him, as he seized Bryant's shoulder again. "Hang on, Noah. I'm coming."**

**LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER**

"**I was told that Luke's mother was coming."**

**Noah growled at Luke's uncle. "You already have Luke. You can't seriously think I'd let you get within a hundred miles of her." Noah realized absently that nobody in this universe had told him what Luke's mother's name was. Most of the time it was Lily, but there WAS that one time Lily was named Rose and Luke's aunt Rose was named Lily. At least he thought that that was how that reality worked.**

"**Smart." Dante admitted. "Now that Luke's dead, she's my only key to getting the Grimaldi money away from Damian."**

**Noah raised the gun he'd gotten in the last universe (he hoped that he hadn't doomed that Luke to death by taking it). "Cut the bull, Dante," he ordered. I already know what you did to Luke. I've got a pretty good idea of where you're keeping him, too." Of course it was possible that Luke had already escaped, like he had at home. But Luke had had Holden with him then, so Noah couldn't count on it. **

"**Is that so?" Dante asked, with a sneer. "If you're on top of everything, then why aren't you rescuing Luke?"**

**Noah charged the gun. "Would've thought that was obvious. I'm here for you."**

**Noah didn't actually plan on shooting Dante. The mere fact that he didn't know the power of the gun he had was enough to make him pause. That pause was enough for Dante to slam into Noah. Which gave Noah another, unwanted pause; one that gave Dante a chance to get out of there.**

**Noah came flying down the stairs at the opera house, heedless of what he might find at the bottom of them. It wasn't exactly like he'd given up on getting home. But the Luke on this Earth was in trouble, and he'd be damned if he was going to let This!Luke and This!Noah suffer the crippling loneliness that was currently devouring him. Even if it cost him his life.**

**And it just might, this time. Luke, his Luke, had told him how very dangerous that his Uncle Dante was. That Dante was more than willing to kill Luke if it would ensure that it was Dante, and Dante's descendants that inherited the Grimaldi fortune. Noah couldn't imagine that someone could care that much about money, that they'd sacrifice their own family. Even his own father, who hated Noah's homosexuality with a fiery prejudice, had never gone after Noah himself.**

**But of course, as Noah had planned, Dante was so busy evading the Noah behind him that he ran straight into this dimension's Noah, right in front of him. This!Noah laid Dante on the ground with a single punch. Dante reached for the gun in his jacket, but Noah was there first, raising his own blaster. This time he wasn't about to hesitate. "I wouldn't."**

**This!Noah yanked Dante's gun out of his jacket and pointed it at him. "Where's Luke? What did you do with him?" Dante just sneered at him.**

"**Let's tie him up," Noah told his counterpart. "I think I know where Luke is." It wasn't easy, relying on his memory to find a place he hadn't actually been before. But Luke's story had been so compelling, Luke's storytelling so engrossing that Noah was convinced he could find where This!Luke was. He kept mentally repeating that he could do this, that he could find This!Luke. Right up to the point that he saw the sand crocuses. **

"**This is it," Noah insisted. They made their way inside, the few people they encountered were put off approaching them by the blaster Noah was brandishing. They reached the downstairs room that Noah was sure faced in the right direction, and he was gratified to see it was locked. "Luke? Luke, are you in there?"**

"**Noah? Noah!" It was Luke, all right. Or This!Luke, anyway.**

**This!Noah was at the door, instantly. "God! Luke, baby, I'm here. We're gonna get you out of here."**

**Noah thought about announcing himself, but decided it could wait until they'd gotten the door open. "Luke, we're going to shoot the door open. Get on the side of the door the hinges are on, and stand as far back as you can."**

**There was shuffling on the other side of the door, until This!Luke finally announced. "Okay. I'm out of the way."**

**Noah wasn't prepared for the power his blaster had. There was a surprisingly small amount of kickback, but the door and the frame on the lock side vanished in a shower of splinters. This!Noah was through the door before the smoke settled, and Noah felt the unpleasant burn of jealousy as he watched his counterpart reunited with the man he loved.**

**This!Luke and This!Noah hugged and kissed for what seemed like forever before This!Luke noticed that they weren't alone. His eyes went wide with surprise when he saw who was with them. "Whoa. I knew you'd be worried, but I didn't think you'd try to clone yourself." **

**This!Noah laughed. "I didn't clone myself. This is-- A long story, that I just realized I never heard."**

"**Ah," This!Luke stated, finally being with his Noah again was apparently leaving him without a care in the world. "Here I was imagining an army of Noah's scouring the world looking for me."**

"**No." This!Noah frowned, sober and almost guilt ridden. "There was just one Noah, too stupid to recognize a set up when he saw it. And then there was another Noah that wasn't nearly as stupid. He's the one that rescued you."**

"**Baby, you are NOT stupid," This!Luke insisted.**

"**He's right," Noah told him. "The only reason I knew what was going on was because it already happened to my Luke."**

**This!Noah calmed a little, and This!Luke smiled at both of them. "Well thank you for saving me. BOTH of you."**

**LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER**

**Luke and Bryant found themselves in Old Towne. An Old Towne that was, if not Luke's, at least not scorched to the bedrock or lit with gas lanterns. Luke sighed in relief. He'd been hoping that Noah hadn't jumped someplace worse; for all he knew one of the dimensions Noah was careening though might not even have an Earth. They needed to get to him before he got into something he couldn't get out of.**

**While Luke was relaxing a little, Bryant was frowning in annoyance. "What is with your Noah? I lock him down to this reality and the first thing he does is head for the other side of the planet."**

**Luke had to smile at that. Bryant seemed to be slowly relaxing in Luke's presence, letting a little bit more of himself slip through. It was nice to see, because sometimes Bryant's personality seemed to be as featureless as a newborn baby. "Where is he?"**

"**I don't know," Bryant admitted. "I can see water, rocks, flowers. I don't know where it is, though."**

"**Don't worry about it," Luke told him. "We just need to find someone who--"**

"**Luke?" Lily Snyder was smiling, shaking, and crying. Luke didn't have a chance to ask what was wrong before she threw herself at him. "Oh god, baby. We thought we lost you."**

**Luke had wondered off and on what his mother was thinking at that moment. If she was worried, or if she just assumed he and Noah were off somewhere. This was what he was hoping for, though, and it was close enough to home that he allowed himself the possibility that it was all over, reveled in his mother's embrace until: "Your grandmother told me Noah thought you were alive, that you'd been kidnapped. But I had no idea you'd be back from Malta already."**

"**Malta," Luke repeated. His voice dull with disappointment, and a growing concern over what Lily was saying.**

"**Noah must have gone there to find this dimension's Luke," Bryant guessed.**

**Lily released Luke, looking over at Bryant, completely mystified. "What is that supposed to mean? Luke, who is this?"**

"**Mom," Luke sighed, recognizing that this wasn't his mother, but not sure what it was that he was supposed to call her. "I can't really explain right now. I need to get to Noah. Can you tell me what's going on? Start from where I supposedly died."**

**Lily shivered at this, a reaction that Luke anticipated. "There was an explosion on your grandmother's yacht. We thought you were dead. Then out of the blue Noah calls Jack and asks for information on one of Damian's relatives. Noah asks to borrow the jet to go to Malta and find you--"**

"**Wait," Luke interrupted. "Which relative?" Though he suspected he already knew, and that knowledge was starting to chill his insides.**

"**Dante Grimaldi," Lily told him. "Jack's trying to get someone at the state department to find out who that is. I don't remember your-- Damian talking about him."**

"**Dante," Luke repeated, horrified. "I told Noah about Dante kidnapping me when I was a kid; he must have recognized the set up as soon as he heard it."**

"**Luke what are you talking about?" Lily asked.**

**Luke didn't hear her. He turned to Bryant in a near panic. "I need to get to Malta, now."**

"**You've been there?" he asked.**

"**Yes!"**

**Bryant put his hand on Luke's forehead, concentrating. "Hang on. I've never done this inside a universe before."**

**Luke held on. There was the rattling sound, and a very confused Lily Walsh Snyder was left alone in Old Towne.**

**(to be continued)**


	6. In Your Arms

Till You're In My Arms Again - by BigDestiny

"He's on his way here?" Newly rescued kidnapping victim Luke Snyder had grabbed a phone and called home, as soon as he'd been able to. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the rather odd circumstances surrounding his rescue. But before he'd even attempted it, he found out that his mother had her own odd story to tell.

"I don't know how to explain it," Lily told him, uneasy. "One minute he was there, and the next minute he was gone. Sweetheart, I don't know about this…."

"Mom, I'm sure it's fine," This!Luke insisted. "The other Noah is really nice, I'm sure this other me will be, too." Other than likely causing him no end of paradox related tension headaches. Still, the other Noah had helped to save him. They all owed him big time for that; so much so that This!Luke had swallowed his pride and asked his biological father, Damian, for help in getting the other Noah home.

Even if that seemed virtually impossible.

"Wait. There's another Noah now?"

This!Luke smiled. "I know. I'll try to explain everything when we get home. With any luck we can get out of here by tomorrow afternoon."

"Let me get your grandmother on it," Lily said. "I'm sure she can cut through any red tape your being there without a passport has caused."

"Oh, that's already cleared up," This!Luke told her. "The delay's- Now don't let Dad get bent out of shape by this, but there's a party tonight, and Damian wants me and Noah at it. Sort of hijacking it to celebrate my release."

"Luke-" Lily sighed.

"Mom, I know. But I haven't seen him since I was three. And he's really trying. I- Jeez!"

"What is it?"

This!Luke shook his head in amazement. Sometimes seeing wasn't believing. "He's here. The other Luke. Damn, no wonder Noah can't keep his hands off my a-" This!Luke bit off what he was saying, belatedly remembering who he was on the phone with. "I've gotta go. Give my love to everyone."

"Will do. We love you, too, baby."

LUKE AND NOAHFOREVER

"Hey! It's you"

Luke jumped, spinning around to face his counterpart from this universe. This!Luke was much calmer than the one Luke had just met, at least on the surface. It was funny. A day ago Luke would have insisted someone treating him with feigned hospitality drop the act and just say what he meant. Now Luke was simply glad someone else had answered the awkward questions for him. "Hey. I'm guessing you've met my Noah."

"Yeah," This!Luke replied. "He didn't say anyone was coming to find him."

"Well, you know how pessimistic Noah is," Luke smiled wanly.

"I'm just glad you've got a way to get him home," This!Luke told him. "I've got my - well, you know Damian - looking into it. But unless James Stenbeck has a portal gun hidden somewhere at Fairwinds, we've pretty much got nothing."

"Actually, creating a spatial portal is much easier than the plotting of a specific destination." This!Luke raised a surprised eyebrow; he hadn't noticed Bryant until that moment, and couldn't quite figure out who he was.

"Sorry," Luke exclaimed. "It's just been forever since I've seen Noah, and my manners are starting to freeze up. This is Bryant. He's- well, he's been trying to help me find Noah. Bryant, you already know who Luke is, obviously."

"Nice to meet you," This!Luke stated, though he was once again looking more confused than welcoming. "So, you're like, a scientist or something?"

Bryant's face fell; no doubt reminded of the fact that he didn't know who he was. "Or something."

Luke jumped to his almost son's rescue again (not surprisingly, it had become Luke's default setting). "I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, but do you think they could wait until after I've seen Noah. It's just been so long…."

This!Luke looked over his counterpart with a measured gaze. "Well. I COULD try to get a hold of Damian. He's with your Noah right now. OR…."

Luke looked up blankly, not knowing where this other Luke was going with this. Then his eyes widened in shock. "Look. I'm sure, being me, that you're very nice. And it's not like I haven't given it any thought since this whole thing started. And MAYBE if it was a four way with the other Noahs, maybe it wouldn't be-" Luke cut his ramble short when This!Luke started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god," This!Luke laughed. "You thought- Oh my god!" It took a couple of minutes for him to calm down long enough to continue. "Luke, your Noah saved my life. I owe him. And if I can't be the one that gets him home, I can at least make his reunion with you memorable."

Luke blushed. "I uh- God, this is embarrassing. So what DID you have in mind?"

"There's a big party tonight," This!Luke announced. "Let's get you cleaned up, turn the room we've got for Noah into a two room suite, and make an evening of it."

LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER

Noah was starting to regret getting dragged along to the evening's festivities. The earlier bite he'd felt when This!Luke and This!Noah had first reunited was back. Along with that agonizing burn in his heart where Luke's love had cooled and sustained him.

He was fully aware he was depressed. When you couldn't even drink because it reminded you too much of your lost love, you were well and truly fucked.

Luke, well This!Luke had insisted that everything was going perfectly. That all he needed to do was show up and let them handle things for a while. It was hard to trust people. It had been hard before all this started, and even his natural instinct to trust that face and voice had faded with the knowledge that it was just a face and voice.

Not Luke.

Not the man he loved.

Noah had already ditched the party by the time that Luke had arrived.

LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER

Luke was literally jumping up and down the second he entered the ballroom. However, he told himself it was from being so short, rather than immaturity at seeing Noah again. Not that he could actually SEE Noah through this mass of people. "Do you see him?" he asked Bryant.

Bryant pointed across the room. "There he-never mind," he added as his other senses caught up with his eyes. "That's this world's Noah."

Luke sighed, bemused. "Could you imagine a world that was JUST Lukes and Noahs."

Bryant shuddered, no doubt imagining how long it would take to find out if his parents were on such a world. "Not willingly."

"Luciano!" This world's Damian Grimaldi crossed the floor, and Luke had to stomp down his own shudder. He felt a little bad about his reaction as from everything he'd heard , this Damian was much kinder, and less homophobic than the one he'd left.

Must be nice.

Damian stopped a polite distance away from Luke, his smile losing some of it's initial punch on seeing it wasn't this world's Luke. "My apologies. I thought you were my son for a moment. I'm Damian Grimaldi," he added as he offered his hand.

Luke made himself accept this Damian's welcome. "Luke Snyder. Although I guess that we both know who each other is."

Damian laughed at that, and Luke felt a twinge of envy for This!Luke. "True enough. You must be looking for your Noah, though. I think I saw him slip out towards the canal a moment ago."

Luke's face brightened at that. "Thanks so much. Bryant, can you-"

"Eat?" Bryant finished. "Cause I'm starving."

"Sounds good," Luke told him. "Could you grab something for me and Noah, too? You just reminded me that I'm starving."

LUKEANDNOAHFOREVER

Noah was standing at the edge of the canal, deep in thought when Luke finally found him. His eyes flickered between the joy of finally seeing Luke, and the shuttering when he again assumed that this wasn't his Luke.

It was a moment Luke knew all too well, and made him curse himself for wasting the day frivolously getting ready for the ball. He didn't need a romantic reunion. He just wanted to be with Noah again. "Noah, it's me. Your Luke." Luke hoped this was the one and only time he'd ever have to introduce himself that way.

Noah's eyes widened, hopeful but he seemingly frozen in place. "Luke? God, I have seen so many Lukes in the last- god, I don't even know how long."

Luke came a little closer. Cautiously; Noah was understandably nervous about accepting Luke's claim at face value. "Tell me about it," he teased.

Luke took another step and, amazingly Noah stepped back. "Wait, please. I need- Luke, is that really you?"

Damn, convincing your boyfriend you were you was a lot harder than Luke thought. This was more like how things were with ye olde Noah. Even the cagey look in the eyes was the same. "Of course it's-"

Luke broke off, his jaw suddenly didn't seem to be working. Those eyes. One look had Luke convinced that he hadn't run into yet another Noah, that this was still his, but something had gone wrong. Those eyes were worn, they'd seen too much, things that couldn't be unseen. Luke had only been to a few worlds, but if they'd both been jumping through time as well as space…. "Noah, how long has it been since you've seen me?''

Noah frowned at Luke, confused. "Don't you know?"

"I thought I did," Luke admitted. "I'm not so sure now."

Noah looked perilously close to crying, but as expected he wasn't about to give in to them. "God, I CANNOT handle a Luke wandering thought time and space that isn't mine."

"I AM your Luke, I swear. Ask me anything."

"I've seen so many Lukes," Noah told him. "Everything that's happened to us has happened on a hundred other worlds. To a hundred other Lukes."

Hundreds? God, Noah. "Ask. And fast because I want you in my arms more than ever now." Noah didn't seem like he could speak, and Luke was growing frantic. "Do you remember the first time we kissed? I asked you what was wrong, and you said, 'nothing.' Noah, how likely is it that anyone else had that exact thing happen." He hoped it wasn't very. If everything kept reoccurring the way he and Noah had, the way Luke's Maltese kidnapping had, then the only thing Luke had to prove his ID was some guy Noah had never met.

But Noah pulled himself together, faster than Luke believed he himself could have managed. Memory clearly visible behind wet eyes. Noah was looking back up at the palace the other Luke's party was taking place in. "Do you know what Luke's favorite flower is? Do you know why?"

"Sand Crocus," Luke answered automatically. "There were some growing outside my window in the dungeon on Malta. It was the only thing that I could see besides my dad that was still alive. You remember the day I told you that?"

"That day we were researching for my trip to Rome. You told me about Dante kidnapping you. That's how I found this Luke."

"He told me," Luke noted. "For what it's worth, HE believes that I'm me."

"Yeah, well he can't be all that smart, or he'd have escaped like you did." Despite the joke, Noah's voice was so taut, Luke was waiting for it to crack. Was hoping for it to crack. Waiting for that moment because he knew that it would mean that Noah believed it, too. "What did I give you for Christmas?"

Luke raised his arm, reading the inscription on the watch Noah had given him. "Worth the Wait. And I'm still waiting. In case you're worried I'm one of the thousands of other Lukes who aren't. "

Noah seemed to shatter when he saw and heard that. "God, we wasted so much time."

"I know. But Noah, I'm here now. And for some reason you're still wasting time." God damn it, Luke really didn't mean to be this bitchy. But being this close to Noah, and not being able to comfort him was agony.

"What's you're favorite Bette Davis movie?" Noah sniffled, even though it was more properly a question for himself.

Luke gave Noah a goofy smile, even as his own tears started to fall. Noah would never ask such a stupid question if he wasn't sure who he was talking to. "Return From Witch Mountain?"

"You are such a dork," Noah wept, even as he swept Luke up in his arms. "Oh, god, it's you. I knew it was you the second I saw you, but I was so scared. Am so scared." Noah pulled back just far enough so he could look into Luke's eyes. "Please. Please don't vanish into midair on me."

"I promise." And Noah believed him; Luke could see a little of that haunted look leave Noah's eyes. There was still the serious matter of how they were supposed to get home, but for right now they were together again. And they could handle anything beyond that.

END

Yeah, I know that they're not home yet. I've got more story that I'm probably going to retool at some point. But given that this has been my worst received story (in terms of reviews) yet, I probably won't be writing a sequel for a while. If there's anyone still reading, thank you.


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